Isaiah 30:15″ For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel in returning and rest shall ye be saved: in quietness and confidence shall be your strength: and you would not.” Lets unpack this for a minute and ask the Holy Spirit to teach us as we look at the word of God. I believe whole-heartedly this is a message that Father God has been trying to help me understand and fully obey for many years now. Honestly, I have have never been very good at rest nor do I believe that I even understood what biblical rest was. I thought rest was sleeping. I know that sleep is important to our mental and physical well being but sleeping and rest biblically are two different things.

Rest equals trust in Father God. Being in rest is a state of mind where we are being still to learn of Him. After all if we really believe that God is the creator of all things then we should be intentional about being quiet to listen and learn in HIs word. The bible is chocked full of wonderful treasures that when obeyed can have a significant impact on our lives and the lives of those around you. If you take the time to really study scriptures for yourself all the commandments are there for our benefit as well as for the ones we love. Gods commandments are given out of His love and protection for us. Following Gods commandments will enrich our lives as well as the lives of others. It is about loving our neighbor as ourselves second to loving God. Relationship is what Father God desires with us. According to scripture, He sent His son to ransom us to Himself that we could be His children when we repent of our sins and make Jesus Christ Lord. Once we begin to follow Jesus then we receive Father Gods Holy Spirit to give us conviction, and the power to overcome sin. This is an act of child like faith to be born again. I found the book of Romans a great study for a better understanding of our faith in Jesus and how to walk it out. I would highly recommend reading Romans.

Now, lets get back to rest. There is no restoration without rest. Matthew 11:28-30 ” Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” This indicates that the rest is for our souls which is our mind, will, and emotions. This is the rest that I believe we are in desperate need of today. Think about the agenda of our enemy satan. According to John 10:10 the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The battlefield for his destruction is our minds. We are being bombarded with thoughts to bring everything the opposite of rest. It only takes a few minutes of listening to the report of the world to get stirred with fear and anxiety. We have to choose what we are going to allow to influence our thinking, the world or the word(Jesus). I would venture to guess that if its the world there is no rest for our souls in that. After all Philippians 4 instructs us to meditate on things that are true, honest, praise worthy, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report. If we are not obedient to God in this area we can’t be shocked when our souls are restless.

When Mary sat at Jesus feet while Martha was busy working and serving, Jesus said, that Mary had chosen the better thing. Help each of us Lord to understand this context of scripture and teach us how to apply it in our own lives today. Psalm 23 speaks of soul restoration. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. Go and read this entire passage to get the full context but for time sake I’m focusing on a particular aspect of it today. What does the green pastures make you think of? For me, I see Gods beauty but also a very quiet place where you only hear the sounds of nature. Then think about still waters for just a moment. I am at peace when I gaze upon water. I love rivers, lakes, oceans, etc… but I believe in the case of still waters it indicates a very tranquil ,quiet and peaceful state. I have come to greatly appreciate quiet time! When your a kid this is punishment, but when your a busy mom its a slice of heaven. Can I get an amen from my sisters that are in this season of life! This is a time set aside where you would have no music, fellowship, or any other noise. I believe this is one of the reasons why Jesus separated Himself from everything and everyone to be alone with His Father. He understood that in order to be effective in His ministry He had to be alone with God to recharge Himself. If Jesus knew it was a priority then we should learn from His example to make it a priority in our own lives to be quiet and rest with the Lord. I realize first hand how difficult this is in the world that is so contrary. It really requires Gods grace to be able to be still and quiet. I would challenge you as well as myself to make being still at the feet of Jesus an intentional time we set aside each day. A time to expect fresh manna from heaven to come from Gods word. To feed our hungry souls the spiritual nourishment required to receive soul restoration. Father God, we ask for Your help today to experience soul rest and to be still and know Your God as the word in Psalm 46 instructs us. I pray for my friends to experience Your love and fresh manna from heaven in Your word as they come to sit at Your feet and learn. I ask and pray in Jesus mighty and holy name, amen!

If you have any testimonials to share of applying Gods word to your own life in this area of rest and seeing benefits please take a minute to share by commenting. Its always encouraging to hear your testimony’s. Love to you all and remember to keep your eyes on Jesus and always study the word for yourself. My ultimate goal is to help point you to the word, where the answers we all need are found.